[Fl_Gulfer]

I haven't ordered one either because they are listed as Not Released Yet.

[Hypocorism]

I was curious about this too. I got mine on the 15th and I am wondering if it was a fluke with Amazon or not. No one is showing any that I have found - still saying not yet available. Hmmm.

Nah, no fluke really. You would have been one of the early pre-orderers who threw whatever asking price at them no questions asked.
And rightly, they honoured the delivery from first round delivered-to-them stock - as they should.
You deserve no less and so get your 15 minutes of fame bragging rights that you paid for.

But the waters can, and do quickly get very murky after that; as queue jumpers wane, replaced by tentative buyers starting to fish for potential discounts, and with less likelihood to put money up front and wait... until?

Instead they hop to the next, and the next... dealer, only prepared to show colour of money when it comes with guaranteed instant gratification, plus some small carrot along with that nasty stick.

Dealers know this game first hand, and they have to haggle as best wholesale discounts they can off Pentax distributors, based on quantities they believe they can shift in a reasonable timeframe.
Otherwise you easily get stuck with goods that can't compete in a fickle, sliding prices market. And have to firesale.

The bigger dealers (like Amazon Direct themselves), with bigger customer bases and confidence have more haggling power in that area - but it all takes time to negotiate, Pentax would naturally be reluctant too.

Then there's the old 'waiting on factory production to catch up and supply' cliched excuse, "because of unexpected high initial demand", which mfgrs use.

Which as we all know when translated simply means: Yet more spin-doctor bullshit to try and spruik up more buyer interest and demand.

Sure they could be honest and say: We just couldn't take the chance of being straddling with unpredicted over capacity when demand naturally slows. But being honest ain't part of the cat & mouse game is it?

.R.

[Rupert]

================================

Going either up or down the price scale from the K5 Amazon price point:

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black)
Price: $1,749.95

Amazon.com: Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black): Camera & Photo: Reviews, Prices & more

Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens

Price: $1,899.00

Amazon.com: Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens: Camera & Photo

Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0 Inch LCD and 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens

2 used from $1,899.00

Amazon.com: Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0 Inch LCD and 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens: Camera & Photo: Reviews, Prices & more

Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens

Price: $1,079.00

Amazon.com: Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens: Camera & Photo: Reviews, Prices & more

I see up and down...but not for the K5...it is $1599. The Nikon is on the top of their Nikon page at $1199....sure, you can pay more for it, but you can't pay less for the K5. I really can't see where someone wold say "look the D7000 is listed for $1799 and $1199, so I will get the K5 for $1599".......do you? Maybe Hoya is looking for that one dumb soul that will, but you can hardly count on being in the game with that kind of strategy, can you?
Regards!

[dgaies]

I see up and down...but not for the K5...it is $1599. The Nikon is on the top of their Nikon page at $1199....sure, you can pay more for it, but you can't pay less for the K5. I really can't see where someone wold say "look the D7000 is listed for $1799 and $1199, so I will get the K5 for $1599".......do you? Maybe Hoya is looking for that one dumb soul that will, but you can hardly count on being in the game with that kind of strategy, can you?
Regards!

I certainly agree that the K5 isn't the easiest sell at 1599 vs the D7000 at 1199. For that matter, the K5 is tough sell at 1599 vs the K7 at about half the price. I personally choose to buy one, despite the price, because it was exactly what I had been "asking for" ever since I picked up the Kx about a year ago; a K7 body/features with a sensor/processing as good as the Kx (in terms of high-iso performance). So do I think I paid more than I should have, I probably did. Is the D7000 a better value, especially to a new user who is not heavily invested in Pentax glass, probably. I guess time will tell if whatever strategy Hoya is playing works out for them.

[Rupert]

I certainly agree that the K5 isn't the easiest sell at 1599 vs the D7000 at 1199. For that matter, the K5 is tough sell at 1599 vs the K7 at about half the price. I personally choose to buy one, despite the price, because it was exactly what I had been "asking for" ever since I picked up the Kx about a year ago; a K7 body/features with a sensor/processing as good as the Kx (in terms of high-iso performance). So do I think I paid more than I should have, I probably did. Is the D7000 a better value, especially to a new user who is not heavily invested in Pentax glass, probably. I guess time will tell if whatever strategy Hoya is playing works out for them.

From a personal standpoint, the price is not as important if you are already a Pentax shooter and have some nice glass. $1599 is not going to break most of us that have far more invested in Pentax mount glass, but it is a poor strategy if you want to compete in the marketplace, and will do nothing to help lift Pentax out of the lower reaches of camera purgatory. $400 difference in a faltering world economy is a lot of cash.......too much for a new buyer not to notice.
Regards!

[cbaytan]

From a personal standpoint, the price is not as important if you are already a Pentax shooter and have some nice glass. $1599 is not going to break most of us that have far more invested in Pentax mount glass, but it is a poor strategy if you want to compete in the marketplace, and will do nothing to help lift Pentax out of the lower reaches of camera purgatory. $400 difference in a faltering world economy is a lot of cash.......too much for a new buyer not to notice.
Regards!

Thats true, current K-5 price policy won't increase the market share of the Pentax, unless K-5 will be accepted with it's huge phenomenal IQ success by the market. without top LCD K-r won't do that either, but an intermediate WR model with top LCD bearing same current price with the K-r, just like K200D era would do the trick which made me a solid pentaxian. But I suspect that Pentax might be evaluating an X100 counterpart or another EVIL design instead of an intermediate dSLR, who knows?

On the 645D part, I am totally giving up the FF idea, why limit sensors with 24x36mm? Just a lens line issue? A smaller 645 body with a better sensor, 645D could be an "better than the FF" concept and maybe even a Hassy killer in the future. IMO Pentax doing the right move with the small body 645D.

[Rite]

I see up and down...but not for the K5...it is $1599. The Nikon is on the top of their Nikon page at $1199....sure, you can pay more for it, but you can't pay less for the K5. I really can't see where someone wold say "look the D7000 is listed for $1799 and $1199, so I will get the K5 for $1599".......do you? Maybe Hoya is looking for that one dumb soul that will, but you can hardly count on being in the game with that kind of strategy, can you?
Regards!

=======================================

As I've stated many times, Hoya has overpriced the K5, IMO.

I wouldn't have said that this time last year, but the WHOLE PLAYING FIELD has dynamically changed in the past twelve months.

Hoya hasn't seemed to notice that both Canon and Nikon have both LOWERED their existing 18mp camera prices. Their (lack of) market research on the D7000 is going to bite them right where it hurts.

[Rite]

Based on the spec sheets they look pretty damn similar.

7D has a higher mp count in a physically smaller sensor (not necessarily a good or bad thing, depends on performance), CF card support, 30 and 24fps 1080p vs. the K-5's 25fps, a 1x mag viewfinder vs the K-5's .92x, and 1 more fps.

K-5 has better high and low ISO range, lighter weight and smaller size, better ergonomics (subjective), and better legacy lens compatibility. It's also $100 cheaper by MSRP.

Most of these differences are small (aside from the video modes for videographers), and the real comparison will come in the differences you can't see on the spec chart—AF speed and accuracy, how the camera feels in your own hand, subjective IQ (i.e. pixie dust), etc etc.

====================================

IMO, more people will be comparing the K5 with the D7000, not the 7D.

As of right now, the D7000 is the only thing out there that will AUTOFOCUS in video mode in 1080p HD video.

This will swing a ton of buyers into the D7000.

[Rupert]

====================================

IMO, more people will be comparing the K5 with the D7000, not the 7D.

As of right now, the D7000 is the only thing out there that will AUTOFOCUS in video mode in 1080p HD video.

This will swing a ton of buyers into the D7000.

.....and do it for $400 less than the K5. As a Pentax shooter, with lots of K mount glass, I will gladly pay a little more for a Pentax body over a Nikon.....but not $400. Looking around at Pentax mount glass in Sigma and Tamron, I have noticed we pay more than Nikon and Canon, and Pentax has increased their prices to the point that Pentax is no longer the "bargain" it once was. We have seen many Pentax shooters jump ship in the past year, and although I have noticed it......apparently Hoya is as blind to it as they are to the worldwide recession?
Regards

[falconeye]

I wouldn't have said that this time last year, but the WHOLE PLAYING FIELD has dynamically changed in the past twelve months.

That's what I said in my blog before photokina: There won't be a $1500 APSC enthusiast market in the future. And the future has begun just a couple weeks after the article
Will soon drop below $1000, only halted by the current $ weakness.

[jogiba]

====================================

IMO, more people will be comparing the K5 with the D7000, not the 7D.

As of right now, the D7000 is the only thing out there that will AUTOFOCUS in video mode in 1080p HD video.

This will swing a ton of buyers into the D7000.

I will wait for the price to drop before getting the K-5 and hope Pentax come out with firmware to give the K-5 video mode features that are in the $400 lower priced D7000.

At a launch RRP of $1600 (body only) the K-5 is currently on a similar price level as its main competitors but we would expect the street price to go down sooner rather than later.

Pentax K-5 Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Although not a 'new' feature as such, the D7000 is a much more capable video camera than the D90 and D300S. As well as quality and sound options it is also possible to trim movies in-camera (which isn't an option on the D90).

Nikon D7000 Hands-on Preview: 3. What's New/Under the Hood: Digital Photography Review

[Hypocorism]

As of right now, the D7000 is the only thing out there that will AUTOFOCUS in video mode in 1080p HD video.

This will swing a ton of buyers into the D7000.

Yes, but the question is: Does it do it well? Or is it just first generation + hiccups and severe limitations territory they're treading here.

Dynamic AF can't be easy to get right, and be idiot-proof reliable which it must to not tarnish brand reputations.

That remains to be seen, and if it proves iffy in practice then even mainstream buyers are going to soon read and hear about that in proper reviews and peer appraisals that they can trust, thus be turned off buying the model on that basis.

.R.

[janneman]

====================================

IMO, more people will be comparing the K5 with the D7000, not the 7D.

As of right now, the D7000 is the only thing out there that will AUTOFOCUS in video mode in 1080p HD video.

This will swing a ton of buyers into the D7000.

And it wasn't until long ago that video in dslr was considered a waste of money by many. That video in a dslr would actually put people off.

[rparmar]

YATAPIP

(Yet Another Thread About Pentax Inflated Pricing.)

[Rite]

YATAPIP

(Yet Another Thread About Pentax Inflated Pricing.)

====================================

Yep. Pentax, are you AWARE?

PAYA?